The Wilmingtonian., 1887-01-29
Letter From Scott Way.
WINTER IN CALIFORNIA.
a Land Of Pure Delight, Sunshine and Deem
Der Strdn5erries

SAN JOSE, CAL, Dec. IA 1SS6.-Yesterday
was the end of my second week in San Jose.
have seen some of the best and little of the
worst of Santa Clara Valley winter weather
and am very well pleased with it las far as
have gone" In the two weeks have been
considering the climate with something of a
critical mind, and not perfect trustfulness.
We have had two partly rainy days, one
night of showers, two days of fog and clouds,
and one or two foggy mornings followed by
bright days. The remainder of the period
has furnished as fiue weather as an invalid
like myself could wish. The mercury has
ranged from about 80 or 55 early in the NOR
ming, to about 65 at noon. Two or three
days it reached 20 in the shade at the warn
est part of the day. The nights are just cool
enough for pair of thick blankets as cover
Ing, and, If one lives in sunny rooms, fires
are not needed in clear days. A little fire in
the open CRATE is all that is wanted during
the dsmpest and coldest weather.
Children run bareheaded and without
window a number of persons sitting in the
park enjoying the sunshine and the kindly
December air, though the day is cooler than
the average OF clear days have spent here.
The sunshine is delightfully."- invigorating
aud seems to hold ont standing and almost
irresistible invitation to come out into it and
feel good. A ''tenderfoot" like the writer
esu't seem to get enough of 1t.
There has been one earthquake since my
coming, but It occurred while was out with
aForty Miner" seeing the California Ma
sonic goat caper and consequently didn't
know aught of the earthquake till / read
about 1t in the papers next morning. Idon't
mind little earthquake like that but if an
earthquake calls me out in the middle of the
night and creates a disturbance and finally
tips brick church over on me l shall kick
can live peaceably in the same house with
an earthquake 80 long as it don't wake me
up when want to sleep.
San Jose is one Of the heAlthiest places in
the world. OF course, (anybody who lives
here will tell you that free of COST, but peo-
pie do die here sometimes. 1t was quite a
shock to me to find this out, coming here as
did because this was represented to be SO
healthfu!, but the first day l rode out met
a very large, progressive cemetery. Perhaps
expect too much but my idea of health
resort that has any right to advertise itscl
as q health resort is place " here the i'm
presaire smile and deep Inquiring look of the
undartaker are never seen and where centen-
arlaos skip around after young wife. As
a healthful State California will do protty
well, however. Down at Santa Babara, the
other day, when they were celebrating the
one hundreth founding OF the Old Mission
there, an Indian woman aged 110 years
danced the fandango With a number of Other
psople Of both sexes equally agile but not so
old by eight or nine years. So you will read
lily see that there is nothing TO prevent per-
son who shuns the drug store aud the doe
tors from reaching ripe old age in Califor.
mia.
TIE effect of the climate on the appetite OF
tenderfoot is remarkable. In the matte,
of eating have quite beaten my best East.
ern record and am growing too big for my
former clothes. Aside from what are in the
West called "three good square meals" /
have managed to take into my system daily
three or four pounds of grapes, and without
much of su effort either. One must revel in
these California table grapes to know any
thing about them. There are upwards of
dozen varieties Of theDl now 10 market, and
this is well along toward the last end of tht
grape season. They come IN July aud last
till after Christmas. Many punches weigh
more than pound and the yield from an
acre Of vines in full bearing is from ten to
fiftesu tons. When came here two weeks
ago the best of these grapes were retailing at
the San Jose fruit stores six pounds foI
twenty-five cents. Now they:are selling at
five to six cents found.
The San Jose frcit and vegetable shops
show the kindly nature of the Santa Clara
Valley climate. Aside from table grapes,
strawberries, figs, lettuce, radishes onions,
green peas, string beans, tomatoes and
squashes may he seen in abundance. The
season for watermeons and cantaloups is
about over but see few in the fruit stores
e Melons grow In such great numbers in the
valley that only the finest are in marke t..
Thousands Of such watermelons as ara sold at
retail for ten to ifteen cents in the East may
now be seen lying in the fields here. Many
fruit growers raise melons between their
trees.
Land is high in the Santa Clara Valley. If
you 20 on mans ranch just after a heavy
rain you may carry off ten or fifteen dollars
worth of his real estate on your feet One
has to be careful about this thing. | have
looked at several million dollars worth of
ranches but haven't had the courage (aud
smother thing that is necessarily to buy one.
Good orchards of to 90 acres are worth from
$500 to 81, 900 an acre, without buildings. !
have seen hundred acre prune orchaid, Just
coming in bearing, that sold recently for
$4,000, and not a building on it. Farming
lands within four or FIVE miles of San Jose
sell at 1925 to s175 an acre for unimproved.
They claim it is good for ten or twelve per
cent on that amount to the farmer,
] am thinking of buying ten-acre ranch
of three-year-old fruit trees, which is held
at $3.50 per scre-$3 500 for the whole. 1t
is tine young orchard but has no buildings
and is fenced only on one side. If buy t.
l estimate that will pay s75 an acre for the
land. s75 an acre for the trees and 5000 al
acre for the climate. 1t may not pay me